1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to jamming based on signal and interference in peer-to-peer networks.
2. Background
In an ad hoc peer-to-peer wireless network such as FlashLinQ, peers or nodes need to discover each other's presence. Peer discovery is accomplished by each peer transmitting a peer discovery signal on a resource. A peer's presence is detected by other peers by listening for the peer's peer discovery signal. The resource used for peer discovery is typically a time frequency block. These resources are typically orthogonal, which allow receiving peers to distinguish one from another.
In an ad hoc peer-to-peer network there is no centralized authority to assign the peer discovery resources to peers. As such, two peers in close proximity may transmit their peer discovery signal on the same resource. Transmitting a peer discovery signal on a resource used by another peer to transmit a peer discovery signal can significantly reduce the ability of both the peers to be discovered by other peers. This peer discovery resource conflict may be partially resolved by mechanisms that allow a peer to measure the energy received on the resource used for peer discovery and to reselect the resource on which to transmit a peer discovery signal when the peer determines that the received energy on its own resource is above a certain threshold. However it is possible that two peers that are in close proximity and are transmitting their peer discovery signal on the same resource are not be able to detect each other's energy with sufficient strength on the resource. This inability to detect the energy with sufficient strength could be due to a wall or other barrier between the two peers. As such, the peer discovery resource conflict cannot be resolved through the aforementioned mechanisms. Therefore, there is a need for methods and an apparatus to provide additional mechanisms for peer discovery resource conflict resolution.